It’s October. Many of my friends are having a ball at all the Oktoberfest celebrations. You would probably encounter an event or two. If you are in Germany, I guarantee that you will run to it smack in the middle.

But I’m not here to tell you to about drinking.

I’m about to tell you to look back to your yesterday.

Nine Months.

If you were pregnant at the beginning of the year you should have given birth by now. From an embryo, the baby would have developed hands, feet and other body organs. That’s a lot of time for development.

How about your work, your family life and your other activities. What have you done in the last nine months of 2005?

Recall what you have done so far and ask yourself these questions:

1. What goals did I set for this year?

2. What are my accomplishments and successes so far? Which goals have I achieved?

3. What goals will I be able accomplish by the end of the year?

4. What areas did I improve on? In terms of skills and knowledge, am I better now compared with last year? Did I learn new things?

5. Are my relationships at work, at home or in my circle of influence better? Have I developed new ones?

6. If there is only one thing that you can accomplish for the rest of the year, what would it be?

7. What one thing should I focus on doing?

Answering these questions honestly will greatly determine what you must do next year, even as you continue to do your best for the rest of 2005.

Pausing to assess what you’ve accomplished creates a sense of perspective on what you’ve done. It also puts you in a better situation, a better view of what you can do in the last quarter to achieve optimum results.

Look back. Understand where you’ve been to know what to do today and to see where you are going tomorrow.